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Kraft Ultimate Sandwich Makeover {Panini Press Giveaway}

April 6, 2011 By

Here in New Orleans, we say that you judge a sandwich by how many napkins you use.  Actually, we don’t call them sandwiches at all….it’s po-boy if you’re from around these parts.  These delicious slices of heaven are generally served on fresh French bread and can include anything from fried shrimp, cajun sausage, french fries and even soft shelled crabs.  But my all time favorite is a roast beef po-boy. It has to be hot, shredded and smothered in gravy and mayo in order to get five stars in my book.  And if I don’t use at least ten napkins, it just isn’t good!

What is the secret to your sandwich masterpiece?  Are you a traditional ham and cheese or do you crave something with more spice like Kraft’s Cajun Chicken Melt?  If you are looking to kick up your sandwich selection this Summer, Kraft has come up with some amazing “outstandwiches” for you to try!  For a taste of New Orleans, you can make the Cajun Chicken Melt in just 11 minutes!

What you Need:
2 slices Italian bread
1-1/2 tsp. KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Cajun Seasoned Chicken Breast
3 strips roasted red peppers
1 small pepperoncini peppers, stemmed, sliced
1 KRAFT Singles
2 tsp. KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade
How to Make It:
  1. Spread 1 bread slice with mayo. Fill bread slices with all remaining ingredients except dressing.
  2. Brush outside of sandwich with dressing.
  3. Cook in skillet on medium heat 3 min. on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

GIVEAWAY

Make your own Ultimate Sandwich with the help of a Breville Panini Duo Sandwich Press (ARV $69.99)!


How to enter:

1. Visit Kraft’s Outstandwich Gallery and tell me which sandwich you would love to try!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @kraftfoods on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! No more than 10 tweets a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for additional entries.)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Kraft Foods on Facebook.

5.  Place my banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on April 25th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to continental U.S. Residents only.

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Keep it all together with The Puzzle Pod- Review and Giveaway!

April 6, 2011 By 52 Comments

My children LOVE puzzles.  They get it from their Gramma (my Mom) who still works giant jigsaw puzzles often.  I love them too, but hate when pieces go missing or worse yet, when puzzles get pulled off shelves in our playroom and then we have to return the pieces to ther rightful owners.  When I heard recently about the Puzzle Pod, I had to check it out!

Very simple and very affordable, mom-invented Puzzle Pods are the perfect solution to keeping puzzles organized.  The sturdy vinyl envelope attaches to the back of a puzzle and flexes easily to accommodate chunky pieces.  Once adhered to the puzzle, you can pack your puzzle around without being worried about losing that last piece that always seems to disappear!  I love this idea because then the puzzles can travel in the car to help keep boredom at bay.

Puzzle Pods can be used for a variety of other uses too, like to hold crayons to coloring books (I love this idea)  or even for moms who scrapbook to keep everything organized and at hand.   We used ours for the back of my son’s states and capitals puzzle.  Because he takes quizzes on the 50 states and capitals weekly, this gave him the perfect way to practice the puzzle in the car on the way to school in the morning to keep his mind fresh.

The Puzzle Pod has held up well to and fro in the back of my car and hasn’t shown any bit of wear and tear despite being put to the test daily.  I would definitely recommend The Puzzle Pod to any Mom, and think it’s a great accompaniment to giving a puzzle as a gift!

GIVEAWAY

The friendly people at The Puzzle Pod have kindly offered to give one away to a lucky reader!

How to enter:

1. Visit Puzzle Pod and tell me how you would use this product!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and The Puzzle Pod (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! No more than 10 tweets a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for additional entries.)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5.  Place my banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on April 20th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to continental U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of Jennifer of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to Puzzle Pod who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.
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Wordless Wednesday: Ballerinas

April 6, 2011 By 12 Comments
ballerinas

My Little Ballerinas!

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Green Town Toys: Citadel Review, Coupon and Giveaway

April 5, 2011 By

Here in New Orleans, we really only have two seasons, Winter and Summer.  As we leave behind our jackets, we have jumped into Summer with which has brought the typical Summer Storms.  I encourage my children to play outside as much as possible, but much of this Season for us is either wet or hot causing us to seek cover (or air conditioning) indoors.  While my kids can’t exercise their bodies on these days, I love to use the opportunity to exercise their creativity!

Green Town Toys allows them to do just that!  About the company:

“Green Town Toys is a market leader in innovative and eco-friendly products. Our mission is to design and manufacture children’s products that inspire imagination, creativity, and fun. Our extensive in-house manufacturing capabilities allow us to ensure prompt delivery, competitive pricing, and unparalleled customer service. In addition, we take the utmost pride in offering sustainable products that are designed and manufactured right here in the U.S.A.”

Both of my girls have always been in to pretend play and craft projects, so when I was offered a Citadel to review, I definitely wanted to give it a try.  The Citadel is made completely of corrugated cardboard and is 100% recyclable.  Removing the parts from the box, my husband found detailed instructions on assembly.  First, the four (extremely detailed) towers are assembled followed by attaching the walls.  The walls are braced with additional pieces that actually lock in place to create the most sturdy cardboard playhouse I have ever seen.  Despite the detail in the Citadel, it was fully assembled in about 15 minutes.  Standing at 54.5” x 54.5”, both girls (or princesses) were able to play comfortably.

Quickly, the girls’ imaginations began turning and they decided that the Citadel needed a “woman’s touch” as they began to decorate with markers and stickers.  Soon after the decorating was done, several Barbies and stuffed animals became their loyal subjects!  We have had the product assembled for three days now and the girls have continued to play with it in a new way each day.  I am amazed at their little creative minds! This is actually the third cardboard playhouse we have tried here at Experimental Mommy and I can honestly say that this one is the most detailed and sturdy that we have tested to date.

If your child loves to be creative and engage in pretend play, you have to check out the other products offered including “The Jolly Roger”, a corrugated pirate ship!

COUPON CODE

The Citadel sells for $44.99 at Green Town Toys and they are currently promoting FREE SHIPPING in April.  They have also generously extended an exclusive coupon code to my readers for 15% off your entire purchase using code “NOTSOBLOG“!

GIVEAWAY

Do you have a little knight or princess who would love to play in the Citadel?  Enter below to win one of your very own from Green Town Toys!

How to enter:

1. Visit Green Town Toys and tell me another product (besides the Citadel) that you would love to own!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Green Town Toys (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @GreenTownToys on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! No more than 10 tweets a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for additional entries.)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Green Town Toys on Facebook.

5.  Place my banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on April 26th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to continental U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to Green Town Toys who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.
Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,

Improve Behavior with GoalForIt!

April 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As my daughter gets older (she just turned six), she is becoming more defiant and less of my little angel.  I know it is all part of growing up, but morning “episodes” do not make a great start to the day.  I am so over the punishments and threats and am thinking that maybe positive reinforcement may work better.  I have been pondering a chore or behavior charts because my daughter is very goal oriented and I think this method would work well.

Sounds easy, right?  Well, being that we are getting towards the end of the school year, our lives have become increasingly busy.  I have not been able to find five minutes to go buy stickers and poster boards to create the charts!  Recently, I learned about a new website to design and customize chore charts for your kids (and tweens) that is completely FREE!  GoalForIt.com provides a way to clearly lay out goals for your child and rewarding positive behavior.

I created a free account for my daughter and choose a pretty pink “rockstar” background (it’s gotta be cool, right?).  There were many backgrounds to choose from for both boys and girls as well as more mature layouts for teens and tweens.  Next, you can choose from pre-made tasks such as “Clean My Room”, “Get Ready for School”, “Take a Shower” or “Eat my Veggies.”  If you have a special task that your child needs to work on, you have the option of customizing your own graphic. Next, assign a value to tasks which is called “moolah” on the site!

Once your tasks are in place and values are assigned, you can decide on the rewards and how much “moolah” it takes to purchase the reward.  For example, I made each task with 5 points.  My daughter will need 200 points to earn a trip to the movies and 100 points to earn an extra 30 minutes past bedtime on a Saturday night.  This is completely customizable to fit your specific needs or ideas. Once your chart and rewards are in place, you can print the chart to display in your home, or leave online.

When you child successfully completes a task, put a sticker in the spot and “moolah” appears in the piggy bank for your child to save.  When enough “moolah” is accumulated, your child can purchase a reward!  I am so happy to have found GoalForIt.com.  I feel like this will be a great success with my daughter and can’t wait to unveil the chart tomorrow!

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Unforgettable Easter Baskets by Hershey’s: Review and Giveaway

April 1, 2011 By

As a child, the Easter Bunny always left a swimsuit, sunglasses, flip-flops and maybe a book….all very lovely.  But as a 6 year old girl, I pushed those gifts aside and searched for the all important CANDY!  My brother and I would dive in the the chocolate first and sneak a few (well maybe several) pieces before breakfast…sorry, Mom!

If the Easter Bunny lacks a little creativity this year, let Hershey’s help design the perfect, unforgettable basket (my girls would love the Princess Basket!).  Once the perfect basket is created, make it special by stuffing with the newest products from Hershey’s.  Check out these fun additions:

  • NEW – Hershey’s Chocolate Creme Egg
  • NEW – Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs Bunny Bag
  • NEW – Reese’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs 12-Pack Tray

And if your little one saw HOP in the theater this weekend, Hershey’s has created some chocolates inspired by the movie.  Add the Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate HOP The Movie Magic Bunny or the Cadbury Egg Scepter of Destiny to their basket and watch their eyes light up!

If you are hosting an Easter party at your home, wow your family by decorating the table with the Hershey’s Pinwheel Party Favors or an edible flower bouquet equipped with multiple treats available for sharing. My favorite would be the adorable Peanut Butter Bunnycakes!

GIVEAWAY

Could you use some Hershey’s treats to make your Easter sweeter?

One reader will win several seasonal products from Hershey’s!

How to enter:

1. Take a look at the Easter recipes created by Hershey’s and tell me which one you want to try!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Hershey’s on Facebook.

5.  Place my button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on April 12th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to continental U.S. Residents only.

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,
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